What weekend car? £5k budget...

[Skipppy]

I have a budget of £5k to spend on something fun which will be used as a second car at the weekends mostly. We have a focus for carrying the family around, but I want something a bit more fun.

Stipulations:

-Will need to carry a toddler on occasion
-Reliability - I don't want anything with bork / wallet r@ping potential so any cars with known major issues are out of the question
-Don't really care about MPG
-Handling / fun factor is important

There are sooo many itches that i want to scratch! I have thought about the following:

Impreza STI
Evolution 4/5/6
Renault Sport Clio
Mk1 S3
Mk2 Golf Gti

I am torn between something with some creature comforts or going for something a bit 'older.'

What do you guys think?

[Skipppy]

There seem to be a few decent 20v T examples around and they seem to be the best engine for the car. Worth getting an S3 instead though?!

[dirty_dog]

Merc sl500, 5l V8 maybe pricey to repair though.
RX7?

[A900ss]

Is it toddler plus you (ie 2 seats) or toddler plus mummy and daddy (ie 4 seats).

[Defcon5]

A900ss said:

Is it toddler plus you (ie 2 seats) or toddler plus mummy and daddy (ie 4 seats).

Indeed.

Might scrape into a VX220 if the former

[BBS-LM]

You might be able to pick a MK4 R32 for that money, but I would go for Impreza STI, Evolution if you can afford the petrol, and miles.

[kambites]

RX8? I guess some would question whether it meets your reliability requirements.

[iwantagta]

Fiat Coupe?

[leon_t]

Skipppy said:

There are sooo many itches that i want to scratch! I have thought about the following:

Impreza STI
Evolution 4/5/6
Renault Sport Clio
Mk1 S3
Mk2 Golf Gti

I am torn between something with some creature comforts or going for something a bit 'older.'

I have a Clio Trophy as my daily drive at the moment, got a clear run through to work this morning across some Welsh roads. Its damn good fun, but I find to really enjoy it you need to pushing on hard and even though its a relatively slow car compared with many out there, I still have moments where I realise I'm at speeds where things would be a hell of a mess should I overstep my abilities. I would suggest the Evo/ Impreza route would be more of the same. If it was me (and it probably will be sometime in the future) I'd be looking for a decent 944 if they can still be had for £5k, or if you're more of a hot hatch fan the mk2 golf or a good 205. I could even do the PH thing and say it: MX5?

I'd forget the gadgets/ comforts too, for a weekender you don't really need anything more than a car that responds the way you want in the engine and chassis/ steering departments.

[Daniel1]

dirty_dog said:

Merc sl500, 5l V8 maybe pricey to repair though.
RX7?

Lol

Op said said:

Stipulations:

-Will need to carry a toddler occasionally
-Reliability - I don't want anything with bork / wallet r@ping potential so any cars with known major issues are out of the question

[greggy50]

Spend 3k on a mint 182 and the rest on trackdays and tyres!

[Skipppy]

A900ss said:

Is it toddler plus you (ie 2 seats) or toddler plus mummy and daddy (ie 4 seats).

Needs to have four seats ideally. When he's a bit older I might go for a 2 seater....

[FussyFez]

Dc2 reg. It hasn't been mentioned and would be well within budget. Or a supercharged k20 civic.

[Matt UK]

I was looking at an e36 M3 cab the other day in the carpark, handsome thing it was, really nice unmolested one in dark green.

No idea on how much they are / bork potential though I'm afraid, but could be food for thought.

[Level 7 Boss]

If it were my money I'd go for the GTI, I do love the mark 2. Although the Evo 6 supposed to be amazing.

I realise I'm not helping at all lol

[thrashermax]

Porsche 944 S2

[minipower]

Forget the Renault. My 182 was fantastic but certianly not good enough for a weekend car. I preferred my MX5 for fun.
As above though, the clio was great if really pushing it. It was certainly a 10/10 car when on it. The problem is you can't drive everywhere at 100%. It is bloody expensive as well to run.

[james280779]

Jaguar S type R
Volvo 850 T5
Lotus Eclat/ Excel
Porsche 944
Mini 1275 GT
Alfa Spider v6
Ford Escort RS Turbo
AMG Merc


All have fun factor, four seats, handle well or exceptional speed (some do both) and none would bankrupt you. The ones that might cost a few quid to keep on the road (RS Turbo / Alfa / T5 ) are all only around 2k to purchase leaving plenty of 'repair money'

[danp]

mk1 GTI cab or e30/e36/e46 bmw cab...wind in the hair adds a certain something.

civic type-r or 130i if u want more speed/handling but maybe too sensible as a fun car? (as could even replace the focus)

older 944 with some cash left for running costs? mgb gt?

[Panayiotis]

944 Turbo